Apple may cast own shadows in iOS 7

Ambient light sensor used to create 3D UI

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A future version of Apple's iOS operating system may create shadows in the user interface based on lighting in the real world.

According to a report on BuzzFeed, an Apple employee confirmed that an ambient light sensor would be used to detect the lighting environment around the handset, which would then render 3D shadows onto icons on the user interface.

The effect will apparently make the user interface appear three dimensional, and the software will update the shadows on the fly as the user moves the handset around.

Take. Pinch. Salt.

As this has come via an Apple developer we can assume that the Cupertino based firm may be looking into this technology, but there's no guarantee that it will ever make it into a final version of iOS.

We've seen something similar to this in a Gizmodo video showing a lighting effect on the volume button in iOS 6, which uses the gyroscope inside the device to change the effect.

There's no time frame on when we could possibly see this technology, if at all, so we're left to wonder what the iOS of the future may look like.

In the mean time, why not check out Gizmodo's video of the shiny volume button in action.